Tightrope Walking – 3 Ways to Balance Work and Family

Becoming a mom is a full-time job that often blends frustration with fulfillment. The joys of parenthood should never be underestimated — but for some parents, an interesting job is also an essential part of the equation.

If you worked prior to having children, you might want to clamber back on the career ladder in the same sector — but perhaps your priorities have changed and you’re seeking something completely new?

Whatever your strategy, walking the tightrope between work and family requires the surefooted skills of a mountain goat — here are three diverse ways to stay on top.

Coworking creche

With their flexible booking arrangements, trendy interiors and tendency to encourage collaboration, co-working spaces have become popular with a whole range of entrepreneurs who like working for themselves but don’t want to be stuck at home.

Until fairly recently, enterprising parents attracted to working this way still had to shell out for childcare separately – sometimes meaning it was unmanageable.

Upskilling with a formal qualification can help you return to work at a more senior level or migrate to a completely new career – if you’ve been out of the career game for a while, it shows employers that you’re serious about making a comeback.

But taking a full-time degree might not be possible due to financial and childcare arrangements — unless your partner or parents can contribute cash when you quit a full-time position or you remove your kids from school to drag them around campus.

If you previously managed the busy schedule of a top-flight executive in a traditional corporate office environment, you may be able to flex your admin muscles again from the comfort of your home as a VA.

When you work as a VA with a firm like Virtalent it might involve dedicating yourself to one or two clients or providing several hours of support to a collection of customers you work with when they need you most.

And by scheduling your availability around school runs and family weekends away, you’ll have the best of both worlds.